TIMOTHY CANNEY

G.T.,


Very well spoken! I have never really had many dealings with you, save your responses to some of my postings on the forum. I too have been talked about on this forum in a negative light from time to time, because I speak the truth, which sometimes goes against the grain of many forum members, or at the least their perceptions of people and events. I live my life very simply, I try and treat everyone just a little better than I expect them to treat me. This kindness to others, is often mistaken for weakness. Nothing could be further than the truth. Then some people get very upset when I get angry with them or tell them the truth, which at times they refuse to see. I as well as most people on this forum(I hope) endeavor to help new members to this area of collecting and try our best to make sure that they have pleasant dealings with both dealers and collectors alike. We offer our advice not to be condesending, but rather to inform and help them avoid some of the problems we have encountered in the pursuit of the hobby. We need to be carefull how we present this information, as the written word does not allways convey our feelings 100% (Myself included, in my postings regarding my negative experiences). Let's face it, sometimes we don't like to have our perceptions altered, it's called Cognitive Dissonance. We like to have certain beliefs that remain constant, when they are not, it causes us feelings of uncomfortability and we strive to hold on to those beliefs at any cost. EXAMPLE: We grow up liking "Martians"(people from Mars)because we have allways had positive experiences with "Martians", they have allways treated us well. All the sudden we meet a "Martian" who takes advantage of us in some way. We then have to alter our view of "Martians" to fit our new circumstances, and experiences. This causes us feelings of discomfort, because we thought that "Martians" were good. when we tell others about our experiences they deny that "Martians" could ever be bad, because they have allways believed the opposite, and it's much easier to maintain their beliefs. This is an example that I have used to teach this concept to college students. This is the root reason that we become upset when we hear that people we have trusted in the past have suddenly done something wrong.(Police, Clergy, our parents, friends, spouses, dealers, ect.) We deny that it could be true, because we have allways trusted these people to "do the right thing". We as members of this forum need to help each other and be supportive, if we are to survive in this hobby. This involves sometimes challenging our thinking and acknowleging that we are not allways right. I know I've been guilty of this myself, from time to time. I try, as many of you do, to be completely honest in all my dealings. But that doesn't mean we will sit back when we see people trying to "get away" with something, ie the recent threads regarding "Fakery", dies to make any shooter into a rarity, and misrepresentation.


Well enough of my diatribe for now,


Tim Canney